[EDRN911]

Fellow SSers,
After about 5 years of alternating between full squish and SS hardtail, I’ve decided to take the plunge into full time SS, and sell my geared ride. I’m hoping to use some of the proceeds of my sale into upgrading my single speed, and was hoping to attain some wisdom from the forum.
Currently riding a stock steel Spot Rocker with 27.5+ Wheels, fox 34 and fox transfer dropper post. Gates belt drive (for better or worse) and hoping to see what are the best upgrades y’all recommend.
2nd wheelset, carbon bar/stem upgrade, cranks? brake set? Headset? Just hoping to hear from fellow single speeders what upgrades were most beneficial and why. Thanks!

 

[AdamR83]

Sounds like you have a great base already!

Everyone is different, but I really like the ride feel of lightweight wheels, especially SS.

 

[Bacon Fat]

Carbon fork, it really completes the SS experience. Simple, light, direct

 

[*OneSpeed*]

If I were in your shoes I'd build a 29er wheelset with a high engagement rear hub. Carbon handlebars are cool and simple to upgrade. Good brakes? Yes please. Cranks? No. Headset, no.

It really depends on the goal, and it depends on what's currently on your bike. Hard to say if your brakes need upgrading without first knowing what you're riding now... Likewise the only reason to upgrade a headset is if you want to add some bling or you're going for an angled headset.

Wheels are always a great place to spend your money though.

 

[*OneSpeed*]

double post

 

[eri]

Almost all upgrades on my bike were because the parts weren’t lasting, the rest I was fixing a specific issue, like wider bars or more travel, more grip.

perfect the bike for the trails you like?

I like seeing belt drive bikes because it’s variety but looks like a pain to own.

 

[teamdicky]

If I were in your shoes I'd build a 29er wheelset with a high engagement rear hub.

This here. I dove into the 27.5+ world for a short bit. Didn't take too long to convert back.

The only reason I did try it was because the frame I was riding at the time was limited to @ 29 X 2.1" tires. I wanted a little more volume, but it wasn't worth the trade-off in roll-over.

Solution; buy a new frame.

Also agreed on the high engagement hubs. The few rides I've done on slower hubs in the past 15 years have made me want to rip my left arm off and beat myself with it.

 

[North woods gal]

I bought my Gunnar Ruffian used and the owner had built it up with Hadley hubs and ZTR 29er Arch rims. Those hubs, especially, are just amazing. Allowed me to use higher gearing by several gear inches than my other single speed 29ers with stock wheels. If you have the money, my vote on building up a single speed is investing in the best wheel sets you can afford.

 

[jct]

to echo...carbon wheels with nice hub. shimano XT 4p brakes are pretty amazing. you may need them depending on how/where you ride. OneUP carbon riser bar would be nice.

 

[drdre]

Thats odd, on ss, I dont care about hub engagement - with the small rear sprocket, you get a lot of movement there from a small crank movement so it doesn't really matter. As opposed to a 50 tooth rear, you dont get a lot of rotation from a given crank rotation - so there the hub engagement number is really apparent.

There is less torque too on ss (no 50 tooth lever arm). There is a bit more load tho from the more static loading from the slower rotation. So my ss hubs last a really long time - even the crappy ones. Not sure how beltdrive affects this tho with the constant minimum tension.

Having said that, the blissful silence of the onyx I now have is a revelation.

The recent carbon rims with the lower profile and thus better compliance are really nice too so given the already decent ride, I'd put $ there.

 

[mack_turtle]

high-engagement hubs are important to me on SS. getting up a technical climb often includes a lot of "ratcheting" and if the hub doesn't grab quickly, you end up wasting some opportunities to find traction. I bought a I0 1-1 wheel. the hub is relatively cheap, made in USA, and has great engagement.

 

[nsd20463]

There is less torque too on ss (no 50 tooth lever arm). There is a bit more load tho from the more static loading from the slower rotation. So my ss hubs last a really long time - even the crappy ones. Not sure how beltdrive affects this tho with the constant minimum tension.

I'm not sure the physics work out like that. If you climb a slope at a fixed pace, it's going to take a force from the rear wheel onto the ground proportional to the weight of you+bike * sin(slope). The equal & opposite force from the ground is a torque on the rear wheel, which is countered by the torque of the free hub pawls (or equivalent in your onyx) on the wheel. Gearing only changes the force you have to put on the pedals to create that torque at free hub-to-wheel interface.

Congratulations on your silent free hub. Silent single-speeding is very relaxing.

 

[*OneSpeed*]

The other thing he didn't mention is chain tension, which is much higher on a SS. So is the force going through the cranks. Hence the BB and rear hub bearings take a beating.

 

[maynard4130]

Get the best hub you can afford on a single speed. It's a direct and intimate connection that is well worth it.

 

[BansheeRune]

Get the best hub you can afford on a single speed. It's a direct and intimate connection that is well worth it.

Onyx or any other that is zero lash engagement.

 

[Bacon Fat]

Onyx are awesome hub and the silence is awesome. But I have zero issues with DT 350 with 18T. The amount of engagement doesn't make a difference on the trails I ride.

 

[BansheeRune]

Onyx are awesome hub and the silence is awesome. But I have zero issues with DT 350 with 18T. The amount of engagement doesn't make a difference on the trails I ride.

Trials did me in and now, I cannot stand a .5 revolution of freeplay. Ever since the Onyx found a place on my bike, even worse, spoilt rotten!
DT does make a very nice hub and offers higher engagement parts to solve the excess freeplay thing for folks that are keen on it.

 

[KCHT]

Fwiw I’ve been running a Paul hub with an eno freewheel forever and it’s amazing

 

[BansheeRune]

Fwiw I’ve been running a Paul hub with an eno freewheel forever and it’s amazing

Always liked that arrangement. Very clean parts!

 

[NJ Gator]

High engagement hub IMHO rocks- but I would not buy a SS specific hub again. Even with Microspline I would spring for the Boone cog. I do have a CK SS hub that I have kept going for a long time. I think I literally purchased the last 142mm axle conversion kit they had in stock and I use a spacer kit from MTB Tools to run on my 148 Boost frame. I love that hub but buying a SS-specifc hub is totally unnecessary and limiting in the long-run.

To close the loop on high engagement- I track stand alot (usually to catch my breadth) as well as ratchet. That is where I see the difference but pedaling nah not really- if you know the trails well that will be the best way to make an informed decision if high engagement is worth it to you.